Article writing is an excellent way to earn extra money, gain traffic to a website, and build an online presence. One of the best things about article writing is that you don’t have to be a genius or paper writer or have experience in order to write articles.
If you are considering writing articles online or need to write them and have been afraid to take the first step, here are a few tips to help you get started.
1. Write as you speak. Think of a topic you know a lot about. Animals, pets, parenting, anything. Write a paragraph about your chosen topic. Pretend you are talking to a close friend or family member. Repeat this process and soon you’ll feel more comfortable about writing.
2. Set a timer (a small kitchen timer works great) for 10 minutes and write everything you can think of about your chosen topic. Write as fast as you can so you can get as much information down as possible before the timer goes off. You don’t have to write full sentences. You can make a list instead. Use this list in creating content.
3. Learn to use the spell checker on your word processing system. The check spelling command is usually shown by an icon that has “ABC” with a checkmark on it or beneath it. Using spell check will reduce spelling errors, one of the biggest distractions in reading copy.
4. When you must write articles about a topic you aren’t familiar with, one of the quickest ways to learn about a topic is to visit the children’s section of the local library. Books meant for kids often condense the most important parts of a topic into easily readable sections.
5. Just do it. Every article begins with a blank sheet of paper or a blank screen. You can always erase or delete after you have something on the paper.
6. Read. Read. Read. Read what others are writing in articles and on blogs. Read newspapers. Read books. Read website. Reading will increase your awareness of topics, lead to more article ideas and improve your vocabulary, all at the same time.
You can write articles, even if you’re a total newbie. You don’t have to have a college education, or even a high school one. You just need a passion for a topic (or the ability to inspire passion) and self-motivation.